MORE than 250 people wished charity cyclists Mark Crick and Neil Barson well as they prepare to embark on a 466-mile ride the length of Ireland. The Fox Inn on Hyde Road, Denchworth, near Wantage, hosted the day, which saw live music and a hog
CYCLISTS were given peace of mind as police security-marked their bikes at city centre events last week. PCSO Matt Autrey, of the city centre neighbourhood team, marked up the bikes in Broad Street on Thursday. Police were also in the street
A COLLEGE for international students has been criticised by inspectors who said it needed to better protect the pupils who stay there. Education watchdog Ofsted rated Bellerbys College in West Oxford as ‘inadequate’ for its boarding provision and
BICESTER’S £5m replacement community hospital is on target to open in August. Building work is at the final stage with just six weeks to go before the hospital, in Coker Close, is handed over to the health authority. From early July, staff
A MOTORCYCLIST was taken to Banbury's Horton General Hospital following a collision with a car this evening. The accident happened just after 5pm on Hennef Way, Banbury. South Central Ambulance Service sent two ambulances and took the rider
DESPITE the cloudy weather these three girls jumped for joy as this swimming pool opened its doors for the summer. The heated outdoor pool at the Jubilee Splash Park in Wallingford was opened to the public for the first time this year on Saturday
OXFORD High Street will be closed to traffic early tomorrow and Wednesday morning. The street will be shut from King Edward Street to Catte Street between 3am and 5am both mornings to allow workmen to remove the tower crane that is currently outside
CITY of Oxford College trainees have won three awards at the SkillBuild construction competition. Oxford resident Philip Collins, 17, came first in the junior carpentry. Headington resident Elliott James, 19, came third in the senior category
FUNDRAISERS put their ideas to the test in a Dragons’ Den-style event to win funds for their inspiring projects. And in the sixth year of the event, teams from Full Circle, Justice in Motion, Jacari and One Eighty netted £16,000 for their efforts
THESE kitchen workers were in the money – partners in a profit-making performance that turned financial disaster into a success story. They helped to turn around a loss-making catering enterprise at Oxford Polytechnic at Headington – and each earned
A DRUNK father of seven had a lucky escape when he fell asleep across a railway line. His life was saved when a neighbour alerted police and he was dragged clear minutes before a freight train passed. The drama occurred one afternoon at Wolvercote
PUPILS and staff were performing well, despite working in buildings of “squalor and disrepair”. That was the verdict of a report by a special committee set up by Oxford City Council to examine the City of Oxford High School for Boys in 1931.
A PLAY entitled Eggs, Chips and Dreams was performed by pupils at The Cherwell School in North Oxford in 1992. The cast included Monica Sloan, 15, Jessica Fynn, 14, Sarah Nurse, 15, Sara Fincham, 14, Emma Swainston, 15, Kate Minton, 15, Claire
SOLICITOR Martin Connor Price found an unusual way to reach a railway station – he hitched a ride on a freight train. With time to spare after a meeting in Abingdon, he wandered into the disused town station to find two men with a diesel engine
IT COST the grand sum of £11 12s 6½d to bury widow Martha Seaton. This was what an average family could expect to pay for a funeral in the late-19th century. Today, a similar ceremony would cost between £3,000 and £4,000. Mrs Seaton’s farewell
BADMINTON, judo and trampoline were the activities in progress at Kidlington Sports Hall in 1967 and there were plenty of enthusiastic and delighted spectators. Memory Lane this week
A 55-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder after police discovered the body of a 33-year-old man in a city flat was today released on bail. Michael Stephen Broadway was found dead by police at a flat where he was staying on South Bridge
POLICE have named a man found dead in a city centre flat yesterday. Michael Stephen Broadway had been living at the South Bridge Row, St Aldates flat for “several months”, Thames Valley Police said. The 33-year-old was found by police shortly
BANBURY MAGISTRATES Paul Hicks, 59, of Cotswold Crescent, Chipping Norton, admitted harassing a woman he was prohibited from contacting by a restraining order by telephoning her on April 26. Given an 18-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months
A JUDGE has given a man who admitted bringing heroin from London to sell in Oxford an “unusually lenient” sentence. Joshua Lucien, from London, has avoided jail after he pleaded guilty to possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply on Wednesday
OXFORD University has reacted to pressure from residents by redrawing plans for its new science centre in Headington. The university says it is to reduce the size of the £45m Big Data Institute by almost a quarter with more landscaped areas, following
DO we really, as a community, have to continue to pursue the Wyatt brothers – the Waterstock Golf Club owners, who, at their worst, have dumped tons of soil on their land without the right permit? However, at their best, they have already created
The Rev Graham Sykes, Chaplain to the Bishop of Oxford, Diocese of Oxford, writes: Like many people I have been shocked and horrified by the plight of the Nigerian girls kidnapped by the Boko Haram group simply to prevent them receiving an
IN response to the letter from Paul Marlow, we are saddened that he felt Dorothy Pearce had been given too much coverage in celebration of her 100th birthday. I have been asked to point out that Dorothy isn’t just about selling raffle tickets,
I’M annoyed. My daughter attends Bayards School, on Barton estate. The school was closed last week because it was being used as a polling station. This meant more than 400 children had to take time off school and working parents had to find childcare
WHEN I received my postal ballot paper for the Euro election on Thursday, I was amazed to find it was 22 inches (55cm) long and had the names of no fewer than 15 political parties, most of which I have never heard though I have studied politics for
Passion. Yes, normally we normally associate it with panting, Berlin’s Take My Breath Away and glistening well-tanned loins. But there is another kind of passion too. Less sweaty, but every bit as fervent and breathless as the bedroom variety.
The Rev Mike Beaumont, executive director of the King’s Centre, Oxford, writes: The King’s Centre is located in a pretty amazing setting, right alongside the River Thames in the heart of Osney in Oxford. The Thames footpath, which runs behind
I enjoyed reading your feature about James Sadler, pictured, the first English aeronaut. However, I just wanted to point out that the main image is incorrectly captioned. Sadler’s grave is not at Merton Fields as stated but is actually in the
LONDON Welsh head coach Justin Burnell has questioned if the inclusion of Ryan Jones in Bristol’s team will have a detrimental impact on their rivals in Wednesday’s play-off final. Welsh host the big-spending West Country side at Oxford’s Kassam
MUSIC lovers of all ages flocked to Witney for the grand finalé of this year’s Witney Music Festival. Tents and stages took over Witney’s Leys for the main day of the festival on Saturday in glorious sunshine. Among the performers was 14-year
A man arrested on suspicion of robbing a store dressed as Father Christmas has been rebailed by police. The 23-year-old from Cowley was arrested earlier this month after the knife-point robbery at Next in Oxford Retail Park in December. The
An air ambulance took an elderly woman to hospital after she was taken ill. The Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance, pictured, landed close to Moorland Road, Witney, at about 1.15pm on Saturday. South Central Ambulance Service said a 70
A man was taken to hospital after two lorries crashed on the A34. The articulated lorry and tanker collided on the southbound carriageway shortly after 4pm on Saturday. Thames Valley Police said some fluid leaked on to the road after the crash
POLICE said they are treating the death of a man found dead at an Oxford home yesterday as unexplained. A man thought to be in his 30s was found dead at a flat in South Bridge Row, St Aldate’s, by police shortly after 9.15am yesterday. A 55
A SHOCKED mother was threatened with an enforcement order after not applying for planning permission – for a five-foot Wendy house. Angharad Holloway and her husband Craig put up a wooden Wendy house for their daughters earlier this month.
MANY will think today’s story revealing that a couple have been told they need council permission to put a Wendy house in their garden is officialdom gone mad. Craig and Angharad Holloway were stunned when an Oxford City Council planning officer
ALMOST £500,000 has been handed to social care bosses in a bid to have more OAPs cared for at home. Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) got £458,799 from NHS training board Health Education Thames Valley. It will be used to educate carers and
TWO Oxfordshire girls are almost within reach of their lifelong dream as they get ready to perform in the semi-finals of TV’s Britain’s Got Talent this week. Renetta Eagle, 19, from Headington, Oxford, and Ebony Cantwell, 16, from Grove, are two-thirds
DRIVERS will be unable to turn right out of Oxford's Risinghurst estate on to the A4142 Eastern Bypass for up to three weeks from tomorrow, because of roadworks. The roadworks are part of Oxfordshire County Council’s £40,000 project to improve
A MAN arrested during a raid on a pub on suspicion of possessing drugs with intent to supply appeared at Oxford Crown Court on Friday. Kenston McIntosh was charged after officers searched the Nelson Pub. in Between Towns Road, Cowley, during the
IT was “bumpy, wet and disorientating” but the contestants at Faringdon’s wife- carrying contest yesterday said they had a great time. The competition was part of a country sports afternoon at Faringdon Cricket Club to raise funds for this year
NOISY neighbours, loud parties, roaring car engines and screaming children. There are many things that can prompt people to pick up the phone and call district councils about the volume in our areas. But in West Oxfordshire, it is claimed that
VISITORS got a closer look at wind energy with a tour of the Westmill Wind Farm in Watchfield. Members of the public had a guided tour of the wind farm and adjacent solar park, which was organised by the Westmill Sustainable Energy Trust (WeSET
IT MIGHT be more than a decade since a ball was kicked at Oxford United’s Manor Ground, but this year will see the final whistle blown on one of the football stadium’s legacies. Oxfordshire County Council is going to review parking restrictions
A top-order collapse saw Oxford fall to a 50-run defeat in a rain-shortened game at High Wycombe on Saturday. An overnight downpour left the outfield unfit for an 11.30am start. But the London Road ground escaped further rain and the Division
CRAIG Haupt brought up 9,000 league runs after leading Banbury to a third straight victory on Saturday. The left-hander hit an unbeaten half-century as his side took full advantage of their rivals’ abandonments to surge clear at the top of the
THAMES Valley Police are looking for a new firm to run healthcare in custody suites after a damning report drawn up following a surprise inspection. A team from the Inspectorate of Prisons and Inspectorate of Constabulary went to nine custody suites
A GROUP of teenagers was attacked as they got off a night bus in Witney. Police said the attack was carried out by two men who had been on the bus with a woman. The four youths, two aged 17 and two aged 18, got off at the bus stop on the corner
MAX Mason, owner of The Big Bang restaurant at Oxford Castle, was sitting pretty at the beach over the weekend, after stepping out of his front door. The 38 tonnes of sand needed to create the Oxford Beach for the second year running arrived at
Striker Lauren Allison could hardly contain her delight after scoring deep into stoppage time to earn Oxford United their first point in the FA Women’s Super League 2 at home to local rivals Reading yesterday. Allison netted 50 times for the U’
OXFORDSHIRE Young Farmers welcomed about 1,000 people to their annual celebration of agriculture yesterday. The Oxfordshire Young Farmers’ Federation annual county show and rally was hosted this year by the Enstone Young Farmers’ Club, in the grounds
Romain Grosjean expressed his satisfaction after finishing eighth, the first time he has completed a Monaco race in yesterday's event. The driver from the Enstone-based Lotus team, was hit from behind on the first lap by Adrian Sutil, causing a
Chipping Norton’s Alice Powell completed her return to the competition by beating championship leader Toby Sowery in successive races to win in rounds five and six at Rockingham yesterday. Gale Force Racing’s Powell led throughout to hand the squad
Lauren Allison opened her account for the season with a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser as Oxford United claimed their first point of the season in Women's Super League 2. Kayleigh Hines had earlier cancelled out Fran Kirby’s opener with a fine
WALKING like Egyptians was out of the question for this team as they aimed for glory in the Bampton Shirt Race. Saturday’s 62nd annual fundraising fancy dress event saw 60 teams race through the village in pouring rain. The route was changed
NEWS that NHS bosses have moved to improve diabetes care, partly in response to a patient death, shows the importance of good care for health problems that may not be the main reason for a patient’s admission. Often issues like heart attacks and
A PATIENT’S death and a review of care standards prompted an improvement of diabetes care in the county, hospital bosses say. An investigation into the death at Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in March last year led in part to the Oxford University
RAIN washed out the entire Cherwell League cricket programme on Saturday, with just three OCA League matches dodging the showers. Cowley Internationals and Garsington beat Hook Norton and Chadlington respectively in Division 1, with Eynsham 2nd
OXFORD’s 20mph speed zones should be abolished because they distract drivers, it has been claimed. Institute of Advanced Motorists consultant Mark McArthur-Christie said drivers spent too much time watching speedometers and should instead be trained
Felipe Massa said a tough weekend became a positive one after he finished seventh for the Grove-based Williams team at the Monaco Grand Prix yesterday. Despite starting in 16th on the grid, the Brazilian charged up the field to finish just behind
A BED shop that has helped thousands of townspeople sleep easy for almost 70 years has closed. Bicester Beds has been a familiar sight in the town’s Market Square since 1947, when it was opened as a furniture shop by Dennis Lisseter. The Wright
AN APPEAL has been launched to save Europe’s largest musical organ in a private house. The 123-year-old giant has entertained kings, emperors and wounded First World War soldiers at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, but is now due to have a major restoration
